Lawrence Cohler-Esses is a staff writer. James D. Besser is Washington correspondent.

Like Lucy holding out her football for Charlie Brown to kick again, President Clinton, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat once more raised the world’s expectations Monday for a breakthrough on their long-stalled peace agreement.
But when the three faced an expectant White House press corps after their meeting, Clinton again voiced the phrases heard so often before.

U.S. pressure for a “credible” Israeli military redeployment in the West Bank churned debate in Jerusalem furiously this week — but produced no clear result even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the issue in Paris Thursday.

As the Obama administration approaches yet another critical juncture in the campaign to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a widening coalition of pro-Israel groups is pushing for a tough new sanctions law — despite mounting skepticism over t

12/09/2009

James Besser

Washington Correspondent

As the Obama administration approaches yet another critical juncture in the campaign to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a widening coalition of pro-Israel groups is pushing for a tough new sanctions law — despite mounting skepticism over the effectiveness of the economic bludgeon.

Jews For Racial and Economic Justice, the New York City social action group, had planned to hold its annual awards dinner, as usual, at the Upper West Side Congregation B'nai Jeshurun.
After all, the dovish group's major award is named for the progressive synagogue's beloved late Rabbi Marshall Meyer. And its current rabbi, Rolando Matalon, is on the JFREJ board of directors.

The earliest of what promises to be a cascade of post-mortems on Israel's military performance in Lebanon last summer are starting to come in. And the picture they paint is far from pretty.
They depict military and political leaders sending soldiers to war against the Shiite guerrilla force Hezbollah with ill defined, constantly shifting goals. They speak of commanders who failed to lead their soldiers personally, in the time-honored Israeli fashion, instead staying behind the lines to monitor their units' progress on video screens.

Slowly, reluctantly and with trepidation, Israel turned to its army this week to redeem a military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon that its air force has proved unable to win. The ground assault took place amid rising international opposition to Israeli actions, sparked by rising civilian casualties.

As Attorney General Michael Mukasey’s stand on government torture meets widespread criticism — including, increasingly, from the organized Jewish community — a former Israeli military attorney who oversaw terrorist cases is pushing for the United States to borrow, selectively, from Israel’s approach to the issue.
Since a 1999 High Court ruling mandated it, says Amos Guiora, Israel has established a “no-torture-based paradigm” that contain key elements the U.S. should adopt; but also some elements it should avoid.

Israeli Eyal Milles has been around Palestinians much of his life: fellow students at Tel Aviv University and co-workers at the two urban weekly newspapers he edits. But, says the 35-year-old self-described pro-peace left-winger, they've never been more than passing acquaintances.

American Jews “do not support” pressure on Israel, says the ADL’s Abraham Foxman.

04/22/2009

James Besser

Washington Correspondent

In what officials of the group were pitching as a statistical response to a recent survey of Jewish public opinion by the dovish J Street, the Anti-Defamation League this week released a poll showing significantly lower approval of President Barack Obama’s handling of Middle East issues and overwhelming support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza early this year.

The State of Israel does not have a state photographer, but if it did, he would be an 83-year-old native of Vienna.
David Rubinger came to Israel in 1939 as part of the Youth Aliyah movement, received his first camera in 1945, started his photo-journalist career by shooting pictures of Jerusalemites celebrating the UN’s approval of the Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947, and never stopped shooting.